Wednesday 6 April 2016 20:13, UK
Former Rangers player and manager Graeme Souness believes the club's return to the Scottish Premiership will offer a boost to the whole of Scottish football.
The Gers defeated Dumbarton 1-0 on Tuesday night to secure their return to the top-flight after they were demoted to the fourth-tier in 2012.
Rangers and rivals Celtic go head-to-head in the semi-final of the Scottish Cup on April 17 - live on Sky Sports - but the fixture will once again be a regular occurrence from next season, something Souness feels can only benefit the domestic game.
"No one can argue it's not been bad for Scottish football for Rangers not to be in the Premier League," said Sky Sports' football expert and columnist Souness.
"If the shoe had been on the other foot, I am sure Rangers supporters would have celebrated Celtic having the same problems.
"But that's the short-term outlook because Celtic, since Rangers went down, have not really had a challenge.
"There's been a bit of a challenge from Aberdeen but it's not been sustained.
"[Virgil] van Dijk, [Victor] Wanyama, [Fraser] Forster, three of Celtic's better players, have gone. Do Celtic sell them if Rangers are still a challenge? No.
"That means the quality of football that Celtic fans are watching has diminished. Don't take my word for it, take a look at the gates at Celtic Park since Rangers have not been in the big league.
"The profile of the Premier League in Scotland has been diminished, it's not as interesting to people outside of Scotland as it was when Rangers were there.
"There's not the same interest from television companies and other media outlets.
"As much as people have enjoyed the demise of Rangers and the damage to Rangers, they are shooting themselves in the foot and if they are thinking any differently, they are kidding themselves on."
Watch Rangers v Celtic in the Scottish Cup semi-final. Coverage begins on Sky Sports 2 HD at 11 am on April 17.
